ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday applauded a recent statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin wherein he refused to describe any insult to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as an expression of artistic freedom.
According to Tass news agency, the Russian president maintained such acts were a "violation of religious freedom and the violation of the sacred feelings of people who profess Islam" during his annual news conference.
He said mocking people's religious beliefs could lead to "extremist reprisals" while citing the example of an attack on the office of Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.
Responding to Putin's statement, the Pakistani prime minister said it was in line with his own thoughts on the subject.
"I welcome President Putin's statement which reaffirms my message that insulting our Holy Prophet PBUH is not 'freedom of expression,'" he wrote in his Twitter post. "We Muslims, esp Muslim leaders, must spread this message to leaders of the non-Muslim world to counter Islamophobia."
The prime minister has been urging for greater unity among Muslims to deal with rising anti-Islamic sentiment around the world.
In October last year, he wrote a letter to the leaders of Muslim-majority nations, asking them to "act collectively to counter growing Islamophobia."
He also asked world leaders crack down on hate speech and anti-Muslim acts in their countries in June when a Pakistani family was killed in a deadly truck attack that took place in Ontario, Canada.
The prime minister has also taken his message to the United Nations and other forums for greater impact.
